A major winter storm is forecast to strike California, U.S. with excessive rain and heavy mountain snow later today, January 26 through Thursday, January 28, 2021. While this will be beneficial rain and snow given the ongoing drought conditions, in some instances it...
January 26, 2021
Southern California residents woke up to a surprising sight on Saturday, January 23, 2021, as rare snow dusted parts of the region, including Malibu, where significant snow has not fallen for years. Meanwhile, a pair of potent winter storms are forecast to unleash...
January 26, 2021
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Tehama County, California on Monday, January 4, 2021. In the NWS Sacramento forecast area there were 39 tornadoes reported from 2010 - 2020. This works out to about 4 tornadoes a year,...
January 05, 2021
Back-to-back cold fronts brought record temperatures and heavy snow to California beginning Friday, November 6, 2020, after months of hot weather and wildfires in the state. Single-day snowfall records were also broken in several areas in Nevada. In California, a...
November 11, 2020
About 100 000 residents in Southern California were ordered to evacuate on Monday, October 26, 2020, as two rapidly spreading wildfires exploded in Orange County-- the Silverado and Blue Ridge fires. Two firefighters sustained second and third-degree burns while...
October 27, 2020
At least 3 people lost their lives while almost 100 000 have fled their homes as two out-of-control wildfires continue to rage in Northern California. As of Tuesday, September 29, 2020, the Glass Fire has consumed more than 18 000 ha (45 000 acres) of land and,...
September 30, 2020
The Creek Fire in California has become the state's largest single blaze record, scorching up to 117 935 ha (291 426 acres) of land as of Thursday, September 24, 2020, and is only 34 percent contained. The blazes spawned two rare tornadoes rated EF-1 and EF-2 a...
September 25, 2020
At least 15 people have been killed in record-breaking wildfires burning through the western U.S. as of Friday, September 11, 2020, with California, Oregon, and Washington bearing the brunt of the blazes. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC),...
September 11, 2020
This season's wildfires in California, U.S. have burned more than 809 000 ha (2 million acres) of land by September 7, 2020, surpassing the all-time record of 793 180 ha (1.96 million acres) set in 2018. Cal Fire began tracking the numbers in 1987. "We...
September 08, 2020
At least 5 people have been killed and more than 30 injured as destructive wildfires continue burning across California. More than 770 structures were destroyed, nearly 283 279 ha (700 000 acres) of land scorched, more than 60 000 people evacuated and 100 000 more...
August 21, 2020
The Governor of California Gavin Newsom declared a statewide state of emergency on August 18, 2020, as a result of the ongoing wildfires and heatwave affecting the state. As of early August 20, more than 400 wildfires are burning across the state. An 'Extreme...
August 20, 2020
According to data provided by the National Weather Service, the temperature at Furnace Creek weather station in Death Valley National Park, California reached 54.4 °C (130 °F) at 15:41 CDT on Sunday, August 16, 2020, breaking the previous August 16 record of...
August 17, 2020
A fire tornado produced by the Loyalton Fire in Northern California forced the National Weather Service to issue its first-ever fire tornado warning on Saturday, August 15, 2020. At least five tornado-strength/scale vortices are likely to have occurred within just 2...
August 17, 2020
A wildfire sparked at the Angeles National Forest in California at around 22:38 UTC (15:38 LT) on Wednesday, August 12, 2020, has spread to 4 450 ha (11 000 acres) by 22:45 UTC on August 13 and is only 5 percent contained. The fire is located near Lake Hughes Road...
August 14, 2020
A new earthquake swarm started beneath the Salton Sea in California on August 10, 2020. The risk of a larger earthquake over the next 7 days is considerably elevated due to the swarm when compared to background levels. The southernmost section of the San Andreas...
August 12, 2020
A major wildfire emerged in Cherry Valley, Southern California, on Friday evening, July 31, 2020, prompting evacuation orders for more than 8 000 people in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The blaze, called the Apple Fire, has spread to 10 860 ha (26 850...
August 04, 2020
In a new study, scientists have warned that the Ridgecrest earthquakes in Southern California in 2019 could increase the chance of a San Andreas Fault earthquake. The probability is higher because the 2019 temblors stressed the Garlock Fault, which links the...
July 17, 2020
A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M5.8 hit central California at 17:40 UTC on June 24, 2020. The agency is reporting a depth of 4.7 km (2.9 miles). 12 aftershocks were reported over the next 47 minutes, with the strongest one M4.5. The...
June 24, 2020
A new seismological study found that a naturally-occurring injection of underground fluids triggered an earthquake swarm near Cahuilla, California, that lasted for nearly four years. The research shows an evolving understanding of how fault architecture drives...
June 21, 2020
An unseasonal storm system brought snow to higher elevations of California on Monday, May 18, 2020, while thunderstorms developed through the foothills, as well as the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys on Tuesday, May 19. According to the National Weather Service...
May 20, 2020
A powerful, slow-moving storm continues affecting parts of California on Monday, April 6, 2020, with significant mountain snow, heavy rain, and gusty winds. Up to 127 mm (5 inches) of rain fell in Santa Barbara County, causing localized flooding. A record rainfall...
April 06, 2020
Heavy rains drenched parts of Southern California on March 22 and into March 23, 2020. The coastal mountain ranges were also hit by the widespread rain, while some beneficial rain and snow fell in the southern San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada. Southern...
March 23, 2020
A large and slow-moving late-season winter storm started dumping significant heavy snow on California's Sierra Nevada on Saturday, March 14, 2020. Up to 1.8 m (6 feet) of snow is expected in the following days, replenishing the mountains following the...
March 16, 2020
Drought conditions are returning to California as major rain and significant mountain snow had not fallen since December 2019. Sacramento and San Francisco have not seen a drop of rain in February 2020, which is usually one of the wettest months of the year for the...
February 21, 2020
California's new statewide earthquake early warning system-- the MyShake app-- has sent out its first public alert on Tuesday, December 17, 2019. The warning was sent for M4.3 tremor that took place in Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, along the San Andreas...
December 19, 2019
Scientists have discovered thousands of mysterious holes in the seabed off Big Sur, California. Researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) were surveying the deep seafloor off Big Sur when they found the strange holes. The bigger holes...
December 15, 2019
Heavy snow blanketed the Antelope Valley in California as a storm hit the high desert area on November 28, 2019. Palmdale saw more than a dusting of snow with over 76 mm (3 inches) covering the region, while some parts of Lancaster saw more than 127 mm (5 inches) of...
November 30, 2019
San Francisco registered 8.8 °C (48 °F) on Thursday, November 28, 2019, and tied with November 27, 1896, for the coldest November day on record. Meanwhile, North Bay dealt with below-freezing temperatures overnight, with Novato Airport hitting -5 °C (23...
November 30, 2019
A powerful storm system is set to approach the West Coast of the USA this weekend, soon after the 'bomb cyclone' pushes east of the Rockies. The storm will bring more rounds of heavy rain and snow to California, beginning on November 30 and December 1, 2019....
November 29, 2019
Critical and extremely critical fire weather conditions continue across parts of California through Thursday, October 31, 2019, especially for southern California. At least 10 fires are burning across the state on October 30, with more than 26 million people under...
October 30, 2019
A total of 200 000 residents in Sonoma County were put under mandatory evacuation on Sunday morning, October 27, 2019, due to the rapidly growing Kincade Fire which started burning Wednesday last week, October 23. According to deputies, it is the largest evacuation...
October 28, 2019
A fast-moving wildfire has exploded in rural Sonoma County late Wednesday (LT), October 23, 2019. The so-called Kincade Fire further intensified by 113 km/h (70 mph) winds, consuming around 4 047 hectares (10 000 acres) by October 24 and forcing hundreds of...
October 24, 2019
A new study of the Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence, the largest earthquake sequence in Southern California, that began on July 4, 2019, provided new evidence that massive earthquakes can happen in a more complex fashion than commonly expected. The observation by...
October 20, 2019
A strong early-season snowstorm pounded several parts of the United States in the first half of October. The unusual weather set records, with snowstorm blanketing the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains. Meanwhile, blizzard conditions have hit Dakota, while Denver...
October 14, 2019
Critical to extremely critical fire weather conditions continue on Friday across portions of Southern California due to gusty winds and a very dry airmass. These conditions should subside by the weekend as an upper level trough approaches the region. The setup has...
October 11, 2019
Winds from the same storm set bringing another round of cold air and heavy snow to the interior Northwest increase wildfire ignition threats and spread over California. As a safety precaution, electricity will be turned off for some parts of California on October 9,...
October 09, 2019
A series of unusual weather events hit the city of Davis, California, on September 28 and 29, 2019. Thunderstorms swept through the state's central part, producing dime-sized hail. A tornado was also spotted near the area. The tornado touched down at 18:40 LT...
September 30, 2019
The seismic activity that started early July 6, 2019 at the southern margin of Coso Volcanic Field in Inyo County, California continues at a rate of about 600 M1.0 or greater earthquakes per day. The activity was triggered by a magnitude M5.4 earthquake at 04:19...
July 10, 2019
The USGS has issued its Aftershock Forecast following M7.1 Ridgecrest, CA earthquake at 03:19 UTC on July 6, 2019. An updated version issued 02:55 UTC, July 7 is posted below and marked Update. Over the next 1 week, there is is a 3 % chance of one or more...
July 06, 2019
A very strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M7.1 hit Southern California at 03:19 UTC on July 6, 2019 (20:19 local time, July 5). The agency is reporting a depth of 17 km (10.5 miles). EMSC is reporting M7.1 at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). This...
July 06, 2019